The Renault Clio V6
Why the Renault Clio V6 Is the Most Underrated French Performance Car of the 2000s
Somewhere inside Renault Sport in the late 1990s, someone looked at the friendly, unassuming Clio supermini and decided the correct response was to remove the back seat and the entire rear structure, and replace it with a 3.0-liter V6 sitting just behind the driver's shoulders. The result, launched for 2001, was one of the strangest and most charming performance cars of its decade — and one that was never sold new in the US, which is exactly why every example on this side of the Atlantic has a story attached to it.
Two distinct phases, two different personalities
Phase 1 (2001–2002) made 230 hp from its naturally aspirated V6 and was, by most accounts, a handful — short wheelbase, mid-engine weight bias, and a well-earned reputation for snapping into oversteer with little warning if a driver lifted off mid-corner. Only 1,631 were built. Phase 2 (2003–2005) turned the wick up to 255 hp while quietly reworking the suspension geometry — a wider track and revised rear geometry — to tame that reputation, and reskinned the body with a more aggressive look. Renault built 1,309 of those. Combined, fewer than 3,000 Clio V6s exist worldwide, and none were federalized for the US market when new.
What it's actually like to drive
Contemporary reviewers were blunt about the Phase 1's temperament — this was, by design, a car that rewarded a smooth right foot and punished a clumsy one, which is exactly what you'd expect from a short-wheelbase hatchback carrying most of its weight behind the driver. The Phase 2's suspension revisions didn't remove the drama, they just moved the goalposts — most owners describe it as more progressive at the limit rather than fundamentally tamer. Either car rewards commitment and punishes hesitation, which is precisely why it's remembered fondly rather than as a cautionary tale.
How it compares to its rivals
Nothing else on sale in period matched the Clio V6's specific formula — a compact hatchback body with a genuine mid-engine, rear-drive layout — which is part of why it's aged into a cult classic rather than a footnote. The closest spiritual company came from mid-engine two-seaters like the Lotus Elise and, later, the Honda S2000 (front-engine, but similarly focused), though none of them wore a shape this ordinary at first glance. That contrast — supermini looks, supercar-adjacent layout — is still the car's entire pitch.
What the market looks like right now
Because the Clio V6 was never sold new in the US, the entire domestic supply is grey-market or gray-import, and as of 2026 the earliest Phase 1 cars have only just crossed the 25-year federal import threshold. In the UK and Europe, where the global supply actually lives, clean low-mileage examples have been trading well into five figures, and exceptional cars have gone further — a rare-color, ultra-low-mileage Phase 2 set a widely reported record at £90,000 in a 2022 UK auction. Dealers and specialists consistently note that clean, low-mileage examples are getting harder to find, which is the classic signature of a market still heading up rather than flattening out.
What to know before buying one
These are low-volume, mid-engine cars with a correspondingly small specialist network — most parts and expertise live in Europe with Renault Sport specialists, so factor that into ownership planning, especially for anything beyond routine service. Inspect the rear subframe and suspension mounting points closely, ask about timing chain/belt service history, and budget for an agreed-value collector insurance policy rather than standard coverage, since replacement cost on a total loss can otherwise be badly underestimated.
Frequently asked questions
Was the Clio V6 ever sold new in the US? No — Renault didn't sell passenger cars in the US at all during this era, so every US example arrived as a private, post-25-year import.
Phase 1 or Phase 2 — which should I buy? Phase 1 for the rawer, more original character and lower production number; Phase 2 for more power and a suspension setup most drivers find easier to live with at the limit. Both are legitimate collector choices. If you want a Phase 2 you will have to wait for it to be eligible to be imported.
How many are left today? Renault built under 3,000 total across both phases, and no one tracks exact surviving numbers — which is precisely why finding two in one place, as EuroClassix currently has, is unusual.
Currently available at EuroClassix
Two 2001 Clio V6s are in the collection right now (ECC-320 and ECC-325) — finding one is a good day; finding a matched pair in one place is unusual. See both on the For Sale page.